Isabelle M., South River High School
Have you ever had trouble making a decision? Have you ever felt paralyzed and not sure what to do? Well, the main character in this story, Paige, knows exactly how you feel. She is faced with the decision of spending Christmas with her long-time crush at his snowy cabin or Christmas with her mom and her college friend in NYC, where she's always dreamed of living. What I found super intriguing about this book is that it's told in two perspectives. Because Paige can't decide, each chapter continues the story as if she chose each option, and as you read, the plot develops based on which location she's in.
A friend of Paige's recommends that she download an app that will help her with decision making, an app version of a Magic 8 Ball. Using it for all kinds of decisions, big and small, Paige starts to relax and let go of the responsibility of taking control of her life. But as time progresses, she realizes that she has everything she needs inside of her to conquer her life, and sometimes it isn't such a bad thing to ask for support.
I thought this book took an interesting stance in the way it dealt with mental health. Paige felt different, broken, like something was wrong with her because she got anxious a lot and had trouble making decisions. But, when she finally decides to reach out and get help, having the label of "anxiety" helps her to realize that there is nothing wrong with her, and that everyone has obstacles they have to learn to climb and live with. One of my favorite aspects of the book was that the end of each chapter leaves you on a cliffhanger, but you have to wait until that perspective comes around again to find out what happens. This kept me flipping pages, and I finished the book relatively quickly, as I couldn't wait to find out what happens next!
Another unique feature of this story was that I really related to the characters. I wanted to scream and hug them at times, and my connection to the material was real. Also, the way the book approached love, as it is a romance novel, was really wholehearted and sweet. Compared to other books I've read it genuinely and realistically crafted a first love story that was sweet to read. And when I finished reading, I felt good, better than I had before. It was an uplifting story about how you can't control life and how things work out the way they're supposed to, one way or another.
Click here to check out One Way or Another by Kara McDowell.